Pacific Rim: Uprising Review [Spoiler Free]

Pacific Rim: Uprising Review

If you're looking for a film that's a cross between Power Rangers and Neon Genesis Evangelion - Pacific Rim Uprising is the film you're looking for. Pacific Rim Uprising is what I expected from a movie that is being released 4.5 years after the original. I didn't re-watch the 2013's Pacific Rim before heading to Uprising so I will say this - Pacific Rim 2 oes a respectable job of reminding moviegoers what happened in the first film without overwhelming them with flashbacks and excess dialogue. Starring John Boyega, Pacific Rim: Uprising refreshes the cast as if it is a new season of Power Rangers. The film has several low points that will make you question the writing and final edit of the film. Check out my full review of Pacific Rim 2 below.

Taking place 10 years later, John Boyega plays, Jake Pentacost, the son of the first film's protagonist, Stacker Pentacost. John Boyega does a great job of using simple humor and adding in quirky mannerisms that is one of the most impressive outings I've seen from this British actor. I've always believed that John Boyega is typecast, but he is not in Pacific Rim 2. I'm going to pay attention to John Boyegas work for the next few years to see if he's able to capitalize on the attention a possible Pacific Rim franchise might generate for his career. It's always great when a blockbuster film is lead by upcoming black actors such as John Boyega.

The cast and crew of #PacificRimUprising made their way down the Kaiju blue carpet in Hollywood this week. See all the photos from the global premiere and see Pacific Rim Uprising in theaters now: link in bio.

A post shared by Pacific Rim Uprising (@pacificrimmovie) on Mar 23, 2018 at 4:50pm PDT

Overall the supporting cast was okay. There was a one character death wasn't necessary. Pacific Rim uprising has a cast of at least 8 other protagonists that the writers have a hard time balancing screentime for. Charlie Day, plays the lead antagonist, a partially alien sex-crazed, stressed, and unstable white guy with no real motivation other than being controlled by an alien race. Charlie Day is funny, but his humor in Pacific Rim 2 is misplaced and prevents his character from being taken seriously at most of the transition points. In Pacific Rim 2, Charlie Day is comparable to Rita Repulsa in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. For a sci-fi action film, some of the cinematography and SFX in Pacific Rim: Uprising was nauseating and prompted a few people in the theater to walk out (I almost joined them). 

The narrative in Pacific Rim: Uprising keeps the film moving forward, but there are a couple of scenes that don't fit the overall tone of the film. The directors and writers add in some additional detail that makes me wonder what they would expand on in future films - some gems include worship of the Kaiju, customized mecha and going to the dimension the aliens come from. Pacific Rim is in a unique situation of expanding on some of these doors if they want to create longevity for this franchise. The possibility of using religious themes ala Neon Genesis Evangelion or a changing cast inspired by the Power Rangers could be the saving grace of that a Pacific RimfrancRim franchise would need. 

If you're looking for an okay sci-fi aciton movie, Pacific Rim Uprising is worth avoiding. Some of the SFX are nauseating in 2-D, so avoid the 3-D version of Pacific Rim Uprising. Despite a few low points, John Boyega brings out the best of this Legendary Pictures film where he can. I give Pacific Rim: Uprising 3 out of 5 stars.

Rent the first Pacific Rim starring Idris Elba and directed by Guillermo del Toro on Amazon